Big Game Processing Table

My neighbor, who owns a portable saw mill asked if I would build him a big game processing table if he supplied the materials. I said sure! The materials he gave me for the project were walnut and birch. The base is entirely made from walnut, the top from a combination of birch and walnut laminated together. The top is 2 1/4” x 30” x 71”.

I came up with the idea of making his table as versatile as possible. Searching the internet for ideas I came across plans for a trestle table. These plans were originally published in Volume 8 Issue 1 of The Woodworker’s Journal (Jan./Feb. 1984, pages 56-58). I modified the design some to suit the materials at hand.

Trestle tables can be disassembled and stored, or moved, with a minimum of effort. Since my neighbor does a lot of entertaining outdoors I built the table to a standard height of 28”. He can seat eight folks around it.

This however is too low for a person standing their butchering a deer, elk, or moose. So, I made him four 2”x4”x7” walnut blocks on which are mounted 4” casters. These blocks, with their casters attached, can be mounted to the base of the table and raise the height of the table to 36”.

The final sanding and finishing of this table is up to him to do so what you see is an unfinished project. I am sure however that the grain of the walnut and birch will pop when the finish is applied.

I never built a table before but then again most of the things I build are firsts for me. I enjoyed the challenge and got to make mistakes with his material. He is happy with the end result and I am too.